Oppenheimer triumphs, Ryan Gosling dazzles at 96th Academy Awards
CBC
It was a night of surprises and upsets at Sunday's Academy Awards — especially for what were arguably the year's two biggest films.
That was perhaps most clear with Oppenheimer, which took home seven wins — the most of all nominated movies. The period piece won for film editing, cinematography, score, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., best actor for Cillian Murphy, best director for Christopher Nolan, and the top award, best picture.
Meanwhile, up for eight awards, Barbie only took home one, as sister-brother duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell won best original song with What Was I Made For?. The two previously won the same category in 2022 for their track No Time to Die from the James Bond film of the same name.
Although Barbie itself didn't perform as expected, Ryan Gosling certainly did. The Canadian actor's live rendition of I'm Just Ken was a show-stopping, standing-ovation inspiring event — including appearances from co-star Simu Liu, and guitarist Slash.
The third-most nominated film, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, struggled. Despite being up for some of the ceremony's top prizes, it lost in every category for which it was eligible. One of its stars, Lily Gladstone, was the first Native American contender in the best actress category.
That award instead went to Poor Things actress Emma Stone, her second career win. The surrealist comedy also took home wins for makeup, production design, and costume design, making it the film with the second-most awards on Sunday.
Currently on his fourth time hosting the awards, Jimmy Kimmel started the ceremony with a tongue-in-cheek skit alongside Barbie's Margot Robbie before poking fun not at Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, but at the Academy itself.
"Now Barbie is a feminist icon thanks to Greta Gerwig — who many think deserved to be nominated for best director," Kimmel said, to general applause. "I know you're clapping but you're the ones who didn't vote for her, by the way."
It was an extended line-skirting performance as he danced through references to this year's biggest films and themes — from Hollywood strikes to a back and forth with Oppenheimer's Robert Downey Jr. 's on his past addiction issues.
Given the heavy subject matter of some of this year's leading contenders, it was an impressive display.
The first award-winner of the night was fairly expected: Da'Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress. A presentation of that award by past winners Mary Steenburgen, Lupita Nyong'o, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rita Moreno and Regina King — coupled with an emotional acceptance speech by first-time nominee Randolph — made it a stand-out moment.
While the best supporting actor category was more uncertain, Robert Downey Jr.'s win was similarly the odds-on favourite. He took home the statuette for his portrayal of United States Secretary of Commerce Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer — the first win of his career.
Aside from Kimmel, the celebrity presenters had some noteworthy moments.
Along with a skit between Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling riffing on their "Barbenheimer" feud, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon played off director Steven Spielberg when presenting the best documentary award; McKinnon tried to insist the Jurassic Park franchise was, in fact, a documentary.
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